I would say that even though we are creating ever more socialized systems that are government run we are still definitively a Republic. We have a small group of elected leaders that contain the power to govern the masses (hopefully in our best interests). We have the power to elect replacements for these representatives or even impeach them before the next elections if they deserve, but still we return to the masses being governed by a small group of powerful officials...a Republic.

Because of the way our government is designed with sovergn states with their own governments and elected officials and the union of states with under a federal system of elected officials there are so many branches of power that we'll never truly experience socialism, facism, communism, etc. because it is constitutionally impossible. Socialist type policies, you could think of it that way, but true socialism, no.

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